A Nameless Shade of Gray
by hUeS -of- h a z e l
Summary: LoM. A man struggles with his own definition of Good and Evil, and the significance of his place straddling the blurred line inbetween. A tale that chronicles the story of the Hero, which closely follows and elaborates on the Dragon Arc.


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A Nameless Shade of Gray

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The sun is rising. The river that acts as the marker between his backyard and the farmland beyond, is crystalline and glittering as he watches it carry endlessly northward. The air is crisp and the grass is slick beneath his shoes. He stands still to take it all in; the birth-light of morning, the song of a fresh day, the renewed scent of the wind, the innocence of dawn. He breathes in carefully, his blond lashes resting against the tanned skin of his cheeks, before his eyes open to watch the blushing sunrise.

Light warms him, and the man smiles. A new day, a new beginning. Domina slowly comes to life under the new watch of the sun, and the promise of a new and malleable day urges the swordsman back into his house and out his front door.

-

He chatted easily with Barret as the man tended the bar, serving a hearty breakfast with a smile, rather than a running tap with a tough baring of teeth. Despite the early hour, none other than Niccolo himself ambled in, effectively butting into the two men's conversation to demand a mug of ale. The young blond man snorted and shook his head at him, but Barret merely quirked a brow at the Merchant of Smiles who stared at him expectantly, leaning against the counter on one arm, somehow nonchalant while at the same time managing to look 'strictly business'.

"Yer outta luck, rabbit," grunted the pub owner, eyeing the famous swindler with a cautious disdain. "Bar ain't open this early in the day."

Said rabbit returned the look, except with less caution and more disdain. He sniffed his displeasure, his whiskers twitching along with his tiny nose. "Well," he huffed. Deciding that any other reply was a waste of his time, he flippantly turned to the red-clad blond sitting on the stool beside him and smiled disarmingly. Barret's jaw clenched at the blatant disrespect, but his friend merely rolled his grey-green eyes and gave him a look that said to just ignore it. He then stuffed a forkfull of scrambled egg into his mouth and glanced sideways at the rabbit coolly.

"What is it?" he asked, his normally quiet voice sharper than usual.

Niccolo's squinty eyes glittered as he smiled; the fake display was more suspicious than it was friendly. "I see you're back in town," he said in approval, ignoring the other man's hard tone. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"I'm eating," was the warrior's curt and meaningful reply. "Ask me later."

Niccolo frowned, and his left cheek spasmed. "I see that mornings aren't a good time for you," he concluded. "I'll find you later when you're less grumpy." With that the rabbit turned and walked out of the tavern, his large sombrero swinging behind him. Barret growled.

"Someday I'll deck 'im," he promised. His companion nodded his agreement, swallowing his chewed food.

"Careful, though. A fat swindler he may be, but Niccolo's as good a fighter as he is a con artist." Barret scowled, but didn't argue and began wiping the counter.

After he finished his meal, he stood and gave Barret the correct coin before picking up his red cap from the counter and replacing it over his shaggy head. His left hand rested comfortably on the hilt of the large sword hanging from his belt, and he left the bar with a smile and a wave.

-

He was headed down the path that lead out of town. One of the ornaments on his hat was crooked, which caused it to sit awkwardly on his head. He took it off to adjust it, and, distracted, didn't notice the girl walking towards him until they collided. She cried "Aa!" as he said "Whoa!" and she reeled backwards sharply. His reflexes kicked in, however, and before she fell he managed to catch her hand.

She blinked in momentary disorientation. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and sprung straight. She looked to be about fifteen or maybe seventeen, with spiraling gold hair double-plaited down her back. She had a cute fringe that rested over her brow, above two large grey eyes, and stood about two inches shorter than him. He let go of her dainty hand, stepping away, and she immediately placed it over her mouth. "I-I'm so s-sorry! I should have w-watched where I-I was g-going," she stammered distressfully, and began to fiddle with the long white sleeves of her modest silk dress. He smiled at her and she blushed, her cheeks, nose and ears glowing bright red.

"It's okay," he assured her in his deep and gentle discourse. She smiled weakly back at him, but her blush only intensified, and she bowed her head slightly as he continued, "I wasn't watching where I was going, either." Despite her apparent shyness, her eyes never wavered from his own, even as she stared up at him from beneath her bangs, which both surprised and pleased him.

"Um, thank you," she said. Her voice was light and hesitant, but clear. She looked around, and a glimmer below her collarbone drew his gaze to the large pearl that rested in between the crevice of her breasts. His eyes widened as he realized it was actually protruding _from_ her chest.

She noticed his stare, and her eyes widened as his did.

His mouth dropped open. "You're--!" His vocal realization was cut off by her sudden, nervous cry.

"ER! I need to go now!" She hurried around him and began to walk briskly in the direction of Domina. He watched her leave, and as she hurriedly disappeared around a bend in the road he marveled at the fact that he had just had an encounter with a Jumi.

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A/N:

A short story that chronicles the tales of my version of the Hero. He doesn't get enough love.

This will probably only be about five or six chapters long. I hope. xD I guess we'll see. I should be working on Moira, but, uh. Yeah. Plot Bunnies draw blood.

A baby rabite dies every time you don't review! JUST REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU READ A FIC, MY DEAR FRIENDS. ( I need to as well, admittedly. XD )

Also--Hero is remaining unnamed for a reason, even though it's hard for me to write and probably hard for you to read. XD This may or may not change later. Probably will, though.

- hazel


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